Afghans angry at Quran burning kill 7 at UN office

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/as_afghanistan

KABUL, Afghanistan – Afghans angry over the burning of a Quran at a small Florida church stormed a U.N. compound in northern Afghanistan on Friday, killing seven foreigners, including four Nepalese guards.

Afghan authorities suspect insurgents melded into the mob and they announced the arrest of more than 20 people, including a militant they suspect was the ringleader of the assault in Mazar-i-Sharif, the provincial capital of Balkh province. The suspect was an insurgent from Kapisa province, a hotbed of militancy about 250 miles (400 kilometers) southeast of the city, said Rawof Taj, deputy provincial police chief.

The topic of Quran burning stirred outrage among millions of Muslims and others worldwide after the Rev. Terry Jones' small church, Dove Outreach Center, threatened to destroy a copy of the holy book last year. The pastor backed down but the church in Gainesville, Florida, went through with the burning last month.

Four protesters also died in the violence in Mazar-i-Sharif, which is on a list of the first seven areas of the country where Afghan security forces are slated to take over from the U.S.-led coalition starting in July. Other demonstrations, which were peaceful, were held in Kabul and Herat in western Afghanistan, fueling resentment against the West at a critical moment in the Afghan war.

Protesters burned a U.S. flag at a sports stadium in Herat and chanted "Death to the U.S." and "They broke the heart of Islam." About 100 people gathered at a traffic circle near the U.S. Embassy in Kabul. One protester carried a sign that said: "We want these bloody ####### Americans with all their forces to leave Afghanistan."

U.N. peacekeeping chief Alain LeRoy said the top U.N. envoy in Afghanistan, Staffan De Mistura, who is in Mazar-i-Sharif, believes "the U.N. was not the target."

"They wanted to find an international target and the U.N. was the one there in Mazar-i-Sharif," LeRoy told reporters at U.N. headquarters in New York.

Initially, Afghan police reported that eight foreigners had been killed in Mazar-i-Sharif.

Late on Friday, Dan McNorton, a spokesman for the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan in Kabul, revised the death toll to seven — four foreign security guards and three other foreigners.

The guards were from Nepal, according to Gen. Daud Daud, commander of Afghan National Police in several northern provinces.

Sweden Foreign Minister Carl Bildt said Joakim Dungel, a 33-year-old Swede who worked at the U.N. office, was among those killed.

Norwegian Defense Ministry spokeswoman Maj. Heidi Langvik-Hansen said Lt. Col. Siri Skare, a 53-year-old female pilot working for the U.N., died in the attack.

LeRoy said the other victim was a citizen of Romania and that a number of U.N. personnel were injured and were being evacuated.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said the head of the mission in Mazar-i-Sharif, a Russian citizen, was injured in the attack, but not seriously.

Police who went to investigate, said the U.N. compound was littered with broken glass and bullet casings.

Abdul Karim, a police officer in the city, said he saw the bullet-riddled bodies of three Nepalese guards lying in the yard and a fourth on the first floor.

He said another victim with a serious head wound died on a stairway to the basement of the compound. A man who was killed inside a room had severe wounds to his face and body, Karim said.

Munir Ahmad Farhad, a spokesman in Balkh province, said the protest began peacefully when several hundred demonstrators gathered outside the U.N. mission's compound, choosing an obvious symbol of the international community's involvement in Afghanistan to denounce the Quran's desecration. It turned violent when some protesters seized the guards' weapons and started shooting, then the crowds stormed the building and set fires that sent plumes of black smoke into the air, he said.

One protester, Ahmad Gul, a 32-year-old teacher in the city, gave a different account. He said the protesters disarmed three guards to prevent any violence from breaking out. Associated Press video showed protesters banging AK-47 rifles on the curb, breaking them into pieces. He said the protesters were killed and wounded by Afghan security forces.

"I disarmed three guards myself and we took out the bullets," Gul said, sternly shaking his finger as he shouted. "With my eyes, I saw them (Afghan security forces) kill two and wound 10." As he talked, he became increasingly indignant and he started shouting: "Death to America!" "We are going to fight."

LeRoy, the U.N. peacekeeping chief, said the security guards, all Gurkhas, "tried their best" but were unable to prevent the large number of demonstrators, some armed, from storming the U.N. compound.

The U.N. Security Council held an emergency meeting late Friday and condemned the attack "in the strongest terms."

The U.N.'s most powerful body also condemned "all incitement to and acts of violence" and called on the Afghan government to bring those responsible to justice and take steps to protect U.N. personnel and premises.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who is in Nairobi, said it was "an outrageous and cowardly attack against U.N. staff, which cannot be justified under any circumstances and I condemn in the strongest possible terms."

He instructed De Mistura to assess the situation and take any "necessary measures to ensure the safety of all U.N. staff."

LeRoy said U.N. officials would be reviewing security for U.N. personnel in Afghanistan.

President Barack Obama condemned the attack and underscored the importance of the U.N.'s work in Afghanistan.

"We stress the importance of calm and urge all parties to reject violence and resolve differences through dialogue," Obama said.

At the U.S. State Department, spokesman Mark Toner said the burning of a Quran in Florida was contrary to Americans' respect for Islam and religious tolerance. "This is an isolated act done by a small group of people and ... does not reflect the respect the people of the United States have toward Islam," he said.

The church's website stated that after a five-hour trial on March 20, the Quran "was found guilty and a copy was burned inside the building." A picture on the website shows a book in flames in a small portable fire pit. The church on Friday confirmed that the Quran had been burned.

In a statement, Jones did not comment on whether the church's act had led to the deaths. Instead he said it was time to "hold Islam accountable" and called on the United States and the U.N. to hold "these countries and people accountable for what they have done as well as for any excuses they may use to promote their terrorist activities."

Last week, Afghan President Hamid Karzai issued a statement calling the burning a "crime against a religion." He denounced the U.N. attack as a "disrespectful and abhorrent act" and called on the U.S. and the United Nations to bring to justice those who burned the holy book. Karzai issued a statement late Friday calling the killings an "inhumane act" that was "against the values of Islam and Afghans." He said he planned to call officials at U.N. headquarters to express his regret and condolences from the people of Afghanistan.

The U.N. has been the target of previous attacks.

In October 2010, a suicide car bomber and three armed militants wearing explosives vests and dressed as women attacked a U.N. compound in Herat in western Afghanistan. Afghan security forces killed the attackers and no U.N. employees were harmed. In October 2009, Taliban militants attacked a guesthouse used by United Nations workers in central Kabul. Eight people were killed, including five foreigners working for the U.N.

Separately, the U.S. Department of Defense announced that six U.S. Army soldiers were killed in separate incidents in fighting against insurgents during an operation in eastern Kunar province, which neighbors Pakistan's lawless tribal areas.

Insurgents have slowly been filtering back into Afghanistan from safe havens in Pakistan as the spring fighting season gets under way.

___

Edited April 2, 2011 by Why_Me

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

Seven people butchered for the fact a book was burned on the other side of the globe. What kind of uncivilized inhuman barbaric animals would commit this kind of atrocity ?

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110402/ap_on_re_as/as_afghanistan

Afghan official: 5 die in Quran burning protest

KABUL, Afghanistan – At least five Afghan civilians have been killed in southern Afghanistan during a protest against a Florida church's burning of the Muslim holy book.

Zalmai Ayubi, spokesman for the provincial governor of Kandahar, says 46 others were wounded when the crowd of hundreds of protesters turned violent on Saturday. He says the protesters tried to burn some vehicles and shops.

It's unclear who killed and injured the protesters, but some were shot.

An AP photographer covering the protest estimated the crowd at a few thousand and says the demonstrators turned violent and smashed his camera.

On Friday, Afghans protesting the Quran burning stormed a U.N. compound in Mazar-i-Sharif, leaving seven foreigners dead.

[_Simpson_ 250]

Seven people butchered for the fact a book was burned on the other side of the globe. What kind of uncivilized inhuman barbaric animals would commit this kind of atrocity ?

Yeah what a bunch of idiots. This pastor is a idiot too. He was warned that something like this could happen and went through with it any way.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Seven people butchered for the fact a book was burned on the other side of the globe. What kind of uncivilized inhuman barbaric animals would commit this kind of atrocity ?

Obviously the inhuman barbaric animals who committed the atrocity

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

Yeah what a bunch of idiots. This pastor is a idiot too. He was warned that something like this could happen and went through with it any way.

Agreed that pastor is an idiot, but then again it's hard to fault him for what these people did. It's like they are right out of the 14th century or something.

[faust-yusov 103]

Agreed that pastor is an idiot, but then again it's hard to fault him for what these people did.

It's actually quite easy to fault the pastor for what these people did, given that the Secretary of Defense had previously personally informed him of the likely consequences and urged him not to do it.

Edited April 2, 2011 by faust-yusov

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

It's actually quite easy to fault the pastor for what these people did, given that the Secretary of Defense personally informed him of the likely consequences and urged him not to do it.

Laying the deaths of those people on that pastor is like faulting a kid who blew away his brother for the fact his dad didn't discipline him enough. Those killers were adults and murdering those people are on their heads, not that pastor's. They are the ones responsible for the murdering of those people, not the pastor.

[faust-yusov 103]

Laying the deaths of those people on that pastor is like faulting a kid who blew away his brother for the fact his dad didn't discipline him enough. Those killers were adults and murdering those people are on their heads, not that pastor's. They are the ones responsible for the murdering of those people, not the pastor.

I won't absolve the murderers of responsibility, but nor will I the pastor. I don't think the act of burning books should be understated simply because it has been the preserve of the Christian right for so long.

Burning something is an extremely violent and provocative gesture, and certainly when you are dealing with sensitive symbols of religious and racial identity it is not something you do without intent to incite further violence.

Jones himself has admitted to pretty much exactly this:

Outcry against Jones spanned across the globe, with violent protests in Afghanistan and Indonesia, as well as pleas from U.S. military commanders, President Obama and even Jones' own daughter.

Jones said the publicity he received bolstered his "mission" to bring attention to Islam's "radical" elements.

"We feel we have accomplished our goal," Jones said. "We feel that God has told us to stop."

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/09/11/2010-09-11_pastor_terry_jones_vows_he_will_never_burn_a_koran_still_hopes_to_meet_with_grou.html#ixzz1IOFB9HQr

Terrorists ought not be apologised for, but referring to people as "uncivilized", "barbaric" and "out of the 14th century" is missing the wider picture.

Jones knew in advance exactly the likely consequences of his actions, and proceeded with them in mind. That does not make him an idiot. It makes him a terrorist.

[mawilson 2,133]

It's actually quite easy to fault the pastor for what these people did, given that the Secretary of Defense had previously personally informed him of the likely consequences and urged him not to do it.

Not really.

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

I won't absolve the murderers of responsibility, but nor will I the pastor. I don't think the act of burning books should be understated simply because it has been the preserve of the Christian right for so long.

Burning something is an extremely violent and provocative gesture, and certainly when you are dealing with sensitive symbols of religious and racial identity it is not something you do without intent to incite further violence.

Jones himself has admitted to pretty much exactly this:

Terrorists ought not be apologised for, but referring to people as "uncivilized", "barbaric" and "out of the 14th century" is missing the wider picture.

Jones knew in advance exactly the likely consequences of his actions, and proceeded with them in mind. That does not make him an idiot. It makes him a terrorist.

These people butchered seven human beings in response to a book being burned. If that isn't uncivilized and barbaric then I don't know what is.

Edited April 2, 2011 by Why_Me

[Usui Takumi 1,562]

I won't absolve the murderers of responsibility, but nor will I the pastor. I don't think the act of burning books should be understated simply because it has been the preserve of the Christian right for so long.

Burning something is an extremely violent and provocative gesture, and certainly when you are dealing with sensitive symbols of religious and racial identity it is not something you do without intent to incite further violence.

Jones himself has admitted to pretty much exactly this:

Terrorists ought not be apologised for, but referring to people as "uncivilized", "barbaric" and "out of the 14th century" is missing the wider picture.

Jones knew in advance exactly the likely consequences of his actions, and proceeded with them in mind. That does not make him an idiot. It makes him a terrorist.

The burning was foolish, but by placing blame for their deaths on the pastor, it actually validates the attacks. In an odd way, this is connected to Paul's ####### story. You shouldn't blame woman for the actions of men.

Edited April 2, 2011 by Sousuke

[Peikko 1,575]

As with all things this is an extremely complex issue. Of course it is right and proper to condemn the killing of random representatives of a perceived 'enemy' on the basis that someone thousands of miles away in another country; a country that has different laws and rights as regards religious iconography, destroys a book. Of course, it's not just any book, it's a book that is symbolic of and sacred to those who adhere to a specific faith. Nonetheless it is a book and its destruction, while it was deliberately and maliciously and cynically undertaken (of that one can be no doubt) this reaction to it is absolutely wrong, inappropriate and the perpetrators should be brought to justice.

Was the act of the pastor an act of terrorism? No, absolutely not. His actions were not designed to intimidate, subjugate or inflict a sense of fear in those who would be appalled by the sacrilegious act. However, it is clear that the pastor did undertake this action not because he enjoys seeing random books burning but as a gesture; one the seemingly was intended to draw attention to the radical element of Islam (however he personally defined what that is). To the pastor I pose two questions, the first, why is it necessary to draw attention to terrorists when we already have had our attention well and truly drawn to them time and time again? The second, how does an avowed christian knowingly and deliberately endanger the lives of others just to make a point that is already well known? I for the life of me can't see how to square that particular circle.

Edited April 2, 2011 by Madame Cleo

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

As with all things this is an extremely complex issue. Of course it is right and proper to condemn the killing of random representatives of a perceived 'enemy' on the basis that someone thousands of miles away in another country; a country that has different laws and rights as regards religious iconography, destroys a book. Of course, it's not just any book, it's a book that is symbolic of and sacred to those who adhere to a specific faith. Nonetheless it is a book and its destruction, while it was deliberately and maliciously and cynically undertaken (of that one can be no doubt) this reaction to it is absolutely wrong, inappropriate and the perpetrators should be brought to justice.

Was the act of the pastor an act of terrorism? No, absolutely not. His actions were not designed to intimidate, subjugate or inflict a sense of fear in those who would be appalled by the sacrilegious act. However, it is clear that the pastor did undertake this action not because he enjoys seeing random books burning but as a gesture; one the seemingly was intended to draw attention to the radical element of Islam (however he personally defined what that is). To the pastor I pose two questions, the first, why is it necessary to draw attention to terrorists when we already have had our attention well and truly drawn to them time and time again? The second, how does an avowed christian knowingly and deliberately endanger the lives of others just to make a point that is already well known? I for the life of me can't see how to square that particular circle.

Nice way to excuse those animals actions. I would think the #1 question would be how could those animals butcher seven human beings for a book being burned...no matter what fking book it was.

That to me would be the BIG QUESTION of the day.

[Peikko 1,575]

Nice way to excuse those animals actions. I would think the #1 question would be how could those animals butcher seven human beings for a book being burned...no matter what fking book it was.

That to me would be the BIG QUESTION of the day.

I did not excuse the actions of the killers. I quite clearly stated with no ambiguity whatsoever that their actions should be soundly and roundly condemned and they be brought to justice. How did you miss that?

Edited April 2, 2011 by Madame Cleo